Nightheart's Desperate Escape
by Shadow Elf Warrior
Summary: Nightheart finds both herself and bondmated eagle, Skyee, captives of the notorious criminal ringmaster, Issac. Fearing the outcome of their capture, Nightheart and Skyee must find a way to escape before the circus reaches their destination.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: ok, new story, and it's mostly complete too, which is a first for me. the time setting is a little bit after the Owl trilogy, so expect a few of the characters from that series later on. i'm going to post it in small chapters every few days, so i'd appreciate a few reviews. /grins hopefully\_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Heralds of Valdmar Series, or the idea of bondbirds or anything else from that series. But I do own Nightheart, Skyee, Issac and this plot. So there. /sticks out tongue/_**

She hadn't seen the sun in days. Their captor knew that if they could just get outside of the sealed wagon, they could easily escape. But then, their captor was used to dealing with exotic creatures like themselves. In this caravan alone, there were eight other wagons, a total of nine, with all but one wagon containing a prisoner of their captor's exploits.

The wagon itself was smelly and dank, with just a small window for light, and a thin slit under the door for food. Even with her sensitive eyes, she could barely see anything.

A rustle in the corner drew her attention. It was her bondeagle.

_:Skyee? What's wrong?:_ She Sent.

Skyee ruffled her feathers again. :_Am bored. Want hunt. Want __**fly:**_

She "heard" the giant eagle sigh, a sigh which she echoed wistfully. Carefully crawling over to her bondmate, she reached out and gently scratched her crest.

_:I know, love. I do too.:_ She raised her eyes to the tiny window, the only source of light they had. :_I wish we were back home, in our nest.:_ The thought of her nest brought tears to her eyes again. That nest was hers. She'd built it on her own, the only help coming from Skyee.

Skyee's mantling gave her a warning, just before the door rattled. Sunlight flared through the door, forcing her to cover her eyes. The blare faded, and their captor stood before them in their prison.

She glared at the large man. "What do you want this time, Issac?" She could feel Skyee's rage, and did her best to hold the large bird back from launching herself at him. Holding her mind was all she could do, however, since Skyee could easily overpower her physically.

Issac smiled behind his beard. "Oh, come now, Nightheart." She cringed at how he drawled her name. "Can't we just be friends? After all, you're a human girl living alone. People will worry that you're not being taken care of." To the unaware person, he would appear to be a genial man, interested in her wellbeing.

Nightheart knew better. He was the ringmaster of a dark circus and his signature was exotic displays. Issac wanted Nightheart and Skyee to become his star attraction. Or so she believed.

"You know better than that." She snarled. "We will never join your pathetic show."

Issac's eyes hardened and his arm twitched toward the whip at his side. He glared at her for a moment, before he closed his eyes and chuckled.

"My dear Nightheart, I'm afraid you seem to be quite confused. As much as I would love for you to be in my show, I fear that you have been spoken for by another."

Nightheart's confusion must have shown on her face, for Issac's chuckles deepened. "No, dearest, something else entirely is you fate."

He turned and walked out. Moments later, two plates of food were pushed through the small gap beneath the door. They were, of course, drugged with a sleeping potion, but that was unavoidable. Unless they wished to starve to death, they had no choice.

Pulling the plates over, she placed the one of raw meat in front of Skyee, and sat back down with her own of cooked meats and vegetables, something she hadn't had since she was a child. As usual, Nightheart shied away from the faint memory. She didn't actually remember what had happened to her as a child, and she was in no rush to recover her memories.

Skyee glared at her reproachfully. :_Has sleep stuff again.:_ Despite her inability to send full sentences, Skyee wasn't stupid. She'd figured out days ago that only some of their meals had the drug, and she could now tell which ones actually had it.

_:I'm sorry, dearheart, but there's no other choice.:_ Nightheart sent back, scratching her chest feathers. :_You need the meat to stay healthy.:_ She didn't enjoy remembering the time when they'd refused to eat for several days, and ended up ill. They intended to escape, but in order to do that, they needed nourishment and energy. And the perfect opportunity.

Skyee heaved a sigh, but bent down to eat her meat. Nightheart did the same. Whatever else he was planning, at least Issac was keeping them well-nourished.

It didn't take long for the drug to kick in, dragging them both down into oblivion.

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**_AN: so what do you think? it's not too bad, if i do say so myself. so, go ahead and click the little button that says "go" /grins/ it'll help me lots. /nods/_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: here's part two, and i made it a lot longer, so i hope you enjoy._**

* * *

Nightheart awoke before her bondmate. At first, she was confused, her pale blue eyes gazing around, until she was suddenly pitched forwards with a cry, and Skyee snapped awake, mantling to keep her balance. Ah, yes, that's what was happening. She always had trouble remembering when Issac gave them sleeping drugs. But the wagon catching on some rocks in the path had awoken her, and reminded her of their situation.

It appeared that they were on the move again. She could see that the sky outside was dark, which explained why they were traveling. Issac always traveled by night, if he could.

As the sky began to lighten, Nightheart heard hoof beats echoing outside, and loud voices. She sighed. Issac had been drinking. Again.

She started to tune out the voices, like always, until she caught the tail end of a question.

"-with the bird girl?"

She shifted over to crouch underneath the small window and listened carefully as Issac laughed loudly.

"_We_ aren't doing anything." He said. Nightheart could almost hear the grin in his voice. "We are taking her to Miroe City. Her future 'Master' awaits."

Nightheart shivered. _Master? That doesn't sound good._

Skyee chose that moment to stretch her wings, flapping them noisily.

_/Hush, Skyee!/_ She Sent urgently. The eagle glared at her, before turning to her preening.

"He's a man of great wealth, and has a great interest in our girl," Issac continued outside. "He's willing to pay a great deal for her capture and transportation, provided she arrives unharmed. " His voice had turned sullen, as if he didn't like that part of the arrangement.

One of the other men spoke up. "What exactly does he want with her?" Nightheart recognized that voice. The man was fairly kind, and occasionally slipped a treat to Skyee, or gave Nightheart something to keep warm.

"Oh I don't know. From what I've heard, he likes the exotic, and the wench is certainly that. I've heard tell of others like her. Maybe he wants to use her to find them." Their voices faded as they rode ahead.

Nightheart's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening. _Others? Like me? Can that be true?_

She shook her head. No sense in giving herself false hope. Still, if it was true, she had to escape. Tonight.

She already had some preparations made. She'd carved a thin strip of wood into a sort of hook, so she could open the door. And she'd also made a crude spike to use as a makeshift weapon, until she could get her own back. When the men went to sleep, she'd open the door and make a break for it.

_/Skyee? How are your wings? Will you be able to fly?/_

Skyee's head came up from preening her tail. _/Fly? Yes. Can fly./_ Her crest raised, and her talons clenched the stand. _/We leave?/_ Her "voice" was eager.

Nightheart's fists clenched in grim determination. _/We're sure going to try./_

They had to wait for dawn to put their plan into action, but it was worth it. A meal came shortly before then, and they dumped it in the furthest corner from the door, in case it was drugged. They pretended to be asleep while the guard came to retrieve the food trays, and then proceed to wait until the sounds in the camp had died down.

Nightheart peered out the window and grinned. Day was breaking, and most of the men had retired. And from the looks of it, the few guards weren't doing so well. They were leaning against the walls of the other wagons, barely conscious from drinking too much without sleeping it off. Perfect.

She crept to the door, carefully maneuvered her hook into the door gap and slowly lifted the latch.

Once unlocked, she waited with bated breath for any sign of movement. When nothing happened, she tucked her 'weapons' into her belt, and carefully opened the door a little. She stuck her head out and noticed that her guard was fast asleep.

_/Alright, love, time to go./_ She braced herself for Skyee's weight. Waiting until the eagle had settled herself on her shoulder, Nightheart moved out. Most humans wouldn't be able to even stand under her weight, but Nightheart was used to it by now.

Creeping by the wagons in the caravan, she reached the weapons storage. She kept it simple, grabbing her own weapons and leaving. She also grabbed a length of rope, so she could bind the blanket she'd been given, and as a form of extra help. Some of the other weapons were tempting, but impractical to use in a forest. She also noticed the net that had captured her from before, and had to suppress the urge to shred it. She didn't have the time.

Nightheart smothered a gasp as Skyee tightened her talons. _/Skyee, that hurts!/_

Skyee ignored her, staring at the other wagons where the other captives were being held.

Nightheart almost groaned. _/Skyee, we can't. It's too risky./_

_/Must help./_ Skyee insisted.

Nightheart let out a breath. Knowing that the bird wouldn't let up, she gave in. _/Fine, but you go to the trees an keep an eye out for guards, alright?/_ Skyee sent her acknowledgment and took off.

She darted as fast as she could between cages, unlocking them and opening them a crack. Whether or not the prisoners escaped was up to them. She had no concern other than getting out of the camp and as far away as possible.

She'd retreated to the cover of the trees when there was a great uproar in the camp. With a feral grin, she ran into the forest and vanished.

**_AN: i hope you liked it. part 3 should be up in a few days._**

**_now be nice and click that lovely little button that says "go", ok?_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN: yays. chapter 3 is now up. truth be told, i've had it done for awhile now, i just hadn't gotten around to posting it, but whatevs. here you go._**

**_GinaStar: yeah, covering her escape was part of the reason, but she really just wanted to get a little revenge on Issac for keeping her in an enclosed area, so yeah. but she did feel a little sorry for the others, and so Skyee used that to make her release them._**

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Another search. Hiding amongst the tree branches, Nightheart and Skyee watched the fifth group make a poor attempt at tracking them. She had to give them credit though; they were being extremely thorough for amateurs. Although they never once looked up. Not that they would see her anyways. Her soft brown and tan hide clothing blended quite well with the forest colours.

She walked along the branches and jumped trees until she'd left her hunters behind. This was getting to be a pain, having to hide so much. It didn't help matters that they already knew the general location of her nest.

A shadow passed overhead, and she froze. Skyee was flying to her left, so something else had to be up there. Pressing herself against the trunk, she looked up through the leaves. There was a falcon circling overhead, but it was almost twice the size of any falcon she'd ever seen. Just like Skyee.

_Could that be a bondbird too?_ she thought.

The falcon suddenly banked and swooped towards her. In return, Skyee cried out and surged up to meet it halfway.

_/Skyee, ask it what it's doing here./_ Nightheart Sent. She now had a fair idea of where she was, but she'd never known any falcons to be there.

Moments later, Skyee replied. _/Needs help. Bondmate in trap./_ She Sent an image along with the words, one of a man trapped under a fallen tree. _/We help?/_

Nightheart hesitated. She wanted to help the man, but that meant coming into contact with people again, something she'd been avoiding for years. Unless, of course, they were bandits or the sort, and even then, she would stay out of sight of them, stealing only what she needed.

Still, the man was a fellow bondmate to a bird. Her conscience would never leave her be if she just left him.

She sighed. _/Alright, Skyee. Let's go./_

She followed the birds through the forest, with Skyee giving her information from the falcon. The falcon's name was Kreeak, and his bondmate's name was Wintersky Apparently, they'd been scouting and wandered well past their people's borders when a tree, chewed by animals, had finally given in and fallen into another tree, knocking it down onto Wintersky's leg. He'd sent Kreeak to get help, and Kreeak had found her.

By the time she'd learned all this, they'd reached the site where Kreeak's bondmate was. The falcon soared straight to the man and landed beside him, crooning happily.

Nightheart hung back, watching them as the man, Wintersky, stroked Kreeak's crest, and spoke quietly to the falcon. A jolt ran through her at the familiarity of the sight.

Wintersky looked to be only a little older than her, not that she was a great judge when it came to guessing the age of other humans. Animals, sure, she'd been around them most of her life, but her own kind were another story. Despite being a little pale, most likely caused from pain, the man called Wintersky seemed to be in rather good spirits.

Wintersky suddenly looked straight at her, and she had to force herself not to flinch.

"I take it you're the one Kreeak found?" His voice seemed gentle enough, so she relaxed her guard a little.

"Yes, so it would seem." She walked forward slowly. His gaze made her feel exposed, unsure of herself. She was unaccustomed to dealing with humans, especially since the only occasion she'd had landed her as a prisoner.

Wintersky smiled sardonically. "Well, I wish I could have met you without being pinned, but what can you do, huh?" He chuckled, and she smiled tentatively. He seemed to sense her uneasiness, and wasn't trying to pressure her.

Kneeling beside him, she examined his leg. "Can you still feel your leg? Or is it numb?"

"Well, I can still feel most of it, at least down to my calf. The rest is numb." Wintersky seemed amused by her questions. "Don't tell me you're a Healer?"

She shot him a glare. "No, I just want to make sure I don't damage your leg further. I don't exactly feel like dragging you around." His eyes widened at that, and she flushed guiltily, turning back to his leg. _Idiot! Now why'd you have to go and say that._ She berated herself.

Fortunately, the tree had fallen so that it was just a thicker branch on his leg, and could easily be mover. With some assistance, of course.

She pulled the rope off and set the blanket aside. _/Skyee, I need your help./_ Skyee had been acting as a guard, but now she soared down, landing on Nightheart's shoulder.

Wintersky's eyes widened. "Is that bondbird yours? It's not often that I see a bondbird eagle."

"Yes, her name is Skyee. She'll lift the branch as much as she can, and I'll pull you out. Got that?"

Wintersky raised his hands, shrugging. "Well, it's not like I'm really in any position to argue."

It took a few tries, and some pain on Wintersky's part, but they managed to get him out, only to find his ankle was broken. Using the dagger she'd stolen from a group of travelers a few years back, she sliced strips from her pants to form a makeshift cast, using the rope as a binding agent.

Skyee called an alarm just as the two humans started off, with Wintersky leaning on Nightheart.

_/Bondmate, they come! Hunters come!/_

Nightheart bit back a curse. Wintersky glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm being hunted and it looks like they've almost caught up." She let out a snarl. "I thought I'd finally lost them by coming this way."

Understanding dawned on Wintersky's face. "Oh, so you must have been a prisoner from that caravan that passed through here a week ago. That's actually why I was sent here, to investigate the caravan. My people don't often see such things, so they sent me to check it out." He added. "But I never thought I'd meet someone like you."

Nightheart frowned, uneasy at the mention of his people. "Look, we have to go. You know this area; which way do we go?"

Wintersky raised his eyes thoughtfully. "If we can get back to my Clan's territory, we'll be safe. Your pursuers won't be able to touch you."

She froze, causing Wintersky to stumble. "Your Clan's territory? You mean, more people?" Her voice turned slightly shrill at the prospect.

"Unless you have a better idea, that's our best bet. And if you don't want to be recaptured, I suggest we get going." He pulled at her arm, forcing her to move.

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**_AN: here we go, i have now brought in an actual character from the series. next chapter, Wintersky's take on his first impression of Nightheart. enjoy!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN: ok, here's Wintersky's first take on Nightheart, as promised. It shows their first meeting from his POV, so bear with me, ks?_**

**_GinaStar: I'm glad you're enjoying it. if you still like it by the end of the story, then you'll probably like my idea for a sequel. I'll give more details in a later chapter._**

Wintersky watched out of the corner of his eye as the girl hid in the shadows. He could feel her gaze, and could tell she was afraid of him. He turned to his bird for answers.

_:Where did you find her?:_ He Sent.

Kreeak tilted his head. _:In forest. Running from men. Had bondbird, should help.:_ It took Wintersky a few minutes to figure out what the last part meant.

_:You mean, we should help her.:_ There was a vague sense of assent, but not as much as there would have been if his guess had been right. _:Or is it because she also has a bondbird that she'd feel obligated to assist us?:_ There was a surge of agreement, so obviously that was the correct answer.

He decided that his best option would be getting the girl over so he could get out of his situation. Turning to face her, he noticed that she immediately tensed. _'She's afraid? Now, what could she be afraid of?'_ Apparently, he needed to proceed slowly with her, just like he would with a young animal.

"I take it you're the one Kreeak found?" Not like it wasn't blatantly obvious, but he wanted to calm her down before asking for her help. And it seemed to be working. She lost a bit of her tense stance, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, so it would seem." Her voice was slightly melodic. '_She'd make a good singer.'_ Wintersky thought absently, before forcing the thought from his mind. Now was not the time for that.

He watched as she walked forward slowly, as if she was expecting him to attack her. Still, he prided himself on knowing just how to calm people down, and it looked like that skill would come in handy now.

'_Alright, play it cool._' "Well, I wish I could have met you without being pinned, but what can you do, huh?" He said, giving her a wry smile. _'If she sees that I'm a bit of a joker, she should calm down a bit.'_ And she did, giving a small smile, before kneeling beside him.

"Can you still feel your leg? Or is it numb?" She asked, looking at his trapped leg.

He eyed her in surprise, and vague amusement. "Well, I can still feel most of it, at least down to my calf. The rest is numb." She raised her head to look at him. "Don't tell me you're a Healer?" _'Although,'_ he thought. _'that would explain why she's out here all alone, and doesn't seem to be too fond of being near me.'_

But he was startled by her sharp response. "No, I just want to make sure I don't damage your leg further. I don't exactly feel like dragging you around." She looked away, and he stared.

Before he could say anything, a huge eagle soared down and landed on her shoulder. He stared. "Is that bondbird yours? It's not often that I see a bondbird eagle." And it was true. The only eagle he'd ever seen bond with anyone was the one back at his Vale. And it was quite evident that they were close to each other. The eagle back in his Vale was nowhere near as close to the smith it was bonded to.

"Yes, her name is Skyee." She sounded quite proud. "She'll lift the branch as much as she can, and I'll pull you out. Got that?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's not like I'm really in any position to argue." And it was true. With his leg pinned, he couldn't really argue with any plan she made.

Still, he was in a great deal of pain before they managed to get him out, although he tried his best not to show it. He almost fainted from relief when his leg was released, only to discover that his ankle was broken. He suppressed his pain enough to watch her use a small dagger to rip her pant leg to make strips and bind them around his leg, using the rope from the blanket she was carrying.

It was only after they'd stood up that Wintersky finally understood why she was out here on her own. She'd helped him stand up, before her head jerked upwards and she swallowed a curse.

Looking at her, he couldn't help being curious. "What's wrong?" She'd obviously heard something from her eagle, but what, he couldn't imagine.

She almost snarled out her answer. "I'm being hunted and it looks like they've almost caught up." He could practically feel her hatred for these pursuers. "I thought I'd finally lost them by coming this way." They started walking towards the trees, with Wintersky trying to keep up with her since she was setting as fast a pace as she could without dropping him.

Understanding of her situation dawned on him. "Oh, so you must have been a prisoner from that caravan that passed through here a week ago." _Should I tell her why I'm here? Hmm, probably. I want her to be able to trust me. She's probably the only way I'll be able to get home and report. Of course, she could have been a rogue that was being transported to a trial, but somehow I doubt that's the case._ "That's actually why I was sent here, to investigate the caravan. My people don't often see such things, so they sent me to check it out. But I never thought I'd meet someone like you." _Hm, not sure if I should have said that last part. She might not understand what I meant._

Nightheart frowned, so she obviously wasn't impressed. "Look, we have to go. You know this area; which way do we go?" Well, at least she wasn't arguing with him.

Wintersky raised his eyes thoughtfully. "If we can get back to my Clan's territory, we'll be safe. Your pursuers won't be able to touch you."

She froze, causing Wintersky to stumble. "Your Clan's territory? You mean, more people?" Her froze was turning shrill, as if she was afraid to even think of the idea.

He suppressed a frown. Such a thing would only scare her further, and he needed her total cooperation. "Unless you have a better idea, that's our best bet. And if you don't want to be recaptured, I suggest we get going." He pulled at her arm, forcing her to move.

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**_AN: i hope you liked it! i was really worried about how this chapter would turn out, but i think i did okay. lemme know, oks?_**

**_Next time, Nightheart's past is revealed, and we learn just how she bonded with Skyee, and wound up being hunted. it'll be up by next week._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN: ok, i know it's been way over a week, but like the notice in my profile said a while ago, i was quite ill, and unable to use a computer without severe pains. as my way of saying sorry, this chapter is much longer than any of the others so far._**

**_GinaStar: i'm very glad you're enjoying it so far. i hope that you like this chapter as much as you have the rest._**

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They traveled until Wintersky began to stumble

They traveled until Wintersky began to stumble. Nightheart had to give him credit; they'd been walking for most of the day before his endurance ran out. And though she was loathe to admit it, how own stamina was running low as well. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows in the already fairly dark woods, so a place to sleep was in order.

Nightheart stopped. "Why don't we stop for the night? We won't get much further in the dark, especially since we're both tired and hungry."

Wintersky sagged against her. "Sure." Nightheart frowned. His voice was lethargic, and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. Her eyes softened. His ankle had to be throbbing with pain, yet he wasn't complaining. Despite her resolve to keep a safe emotional distance between them, she found herself warming to the man, something she never thought she'd be able to do with another human.

"I'll send Skyee to find a suitable campsite. We can take a rest."

Wintersky roused himself enough to shake his head. "No, I'll send Kreeak. Your eagle would be better suited as a guard." No sooner had he said so, than Kreeak shot off through the trees.

Nightheart stared at him for a moment, before sighing. "Alright, you win." She carefully settled him against a sheltered trunk. "You rest here. I'll go find some food." Skyee came wheeling down and landed beside him. /_Keep an eye on him, love._/ She sent. /_Don't let him sleep yet. We don't want him going into shock._/ She took off into the evening woods.

Once away from Wintersky's presence, she leaned against the rough bark of a pine tree, ignoring the dangling needles pressing into her arms and back. _What is wrong with me?_ She thought desperately. _Why am I so worried about him? He's just some human who got trapped. So why do I feel so attached to him? I barely even know him!_

Placing a hand on her racing heart, she concentrated on calming down. She wouldn't be able to hunt well if she was stressed. When she felt calmer, she pushed off the tree and went looking for a few rabbits or a small deer. With four to feed instead of two, she had to get more than usual.

She returned to the place where she'd left Wintersky just as dusk began to settle with three rabbits hanging from her hand, and almost dropped them when she saw that she was no longer resting by the tree.

Looking around the small clearing, she was relieved when she saw no sign of a struggle. And there was no sign of the enemy finding them, since the normal nighttime sounds were echoing softly through the trees.

/_Skyee?_/ If she could reach Skyee, she'd find Wintersky. Skyee wouldn't leave the injured man alone unless she was sure he'd be safe. /_Where are you?_/

A cry rang out from her left, and she ran to find Wintersky sitting quite calmly by a fire. Kreeak was perched on the log that Wintersky was leaning against, with Skyee in the tree above them. There was a small, burbling stream nearby, providing a source of water, for both drinking and putting out the fire if it got out of control.

Wintersky looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, so you managed to find us. Good." He appeared completely oblivious to the panic that Nightheart had just experienced.

Sighing, Nightheart stalked over to him and whacked the back of his head, making him yelp. "You idiot, I thought I told you to rest, not go walking off to do whatever. You have a broken ankle, you shouldn't be moving at all without someone to support you, you moron!"

Wintersky grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head. "Well, Kreeak came back, and since you were off hunting, I figured the least I could do was make sure we had a fire to cook whatever you caught."

Nightheart couldn't come up with a comeback for that. It seemed that no matter what happened to him, Wintersky was more worried about doing his share of the work than in allowing himself to recover. Sighing again, she rubbed her forehead. "This is really starting to give me a headache." She mumbled. She let herself drop to the ground on the other side of the fire, and began setting up a spit for their dinner. Placing two of the rabbits on to cook, she held the other one up to Skyee.

"Share this with Kreeak, alright love? He's probably hungry."

Wintersky looked up at her. "Thank you. Normally I'd send Kreeak to find something, but he doesn't seem to want to leave my side anymore."

Nightheart laughed, surprising herself with her own reaction. "Big surprise there. You got trapped under a tree. Obviously your bird's the responsible one in this pairing."

Wintersky stiffened, almost as if he was afraid that she was reading his mind. "Now that's not fair. I am responsible, I just happened to make a mistake, that's all." He glared at her as she kept giggling, before sighing and reaching to turn the rabbits. There was silence for a while, as the two just watched the fire or the rabbits, listening to the woodland sounds around them. They could smell the rabbits beginning to roast, filling the air with a delicious aroma. There was no fear of predators approaching them. Skyee was twice the size of any normal eagle, and could easily scare off even the most stubborn nocturnal hunters.

"So what's your story?" he asked suddenly. "How did you bond with an eagle?"

Nightheart froze. Turning her head away, she scoffed. "I don't know what you mean."

Wintersky didn't look away from her. "You know exactly what I mean." He glanced at Skyee, who was ripping at her meal. "You have a bondbird eagle, and as far as I know, eagles don't really bond with anyone. I've only seen one person with one, and they're not nearly as close to each other as you and Skyee are."

The fire cracked and sparked as Nightheart debated whether or not she should answer. She barely knew this man, so there was no real reason to tell him anything. But at the same time, there was something about him that made her feel so comfortable around him.

She groaned, running a hand through her hair. "You are really starting to bug me, you know that?"

Wintersky jerked back a bit. "What?"

Rearranging herself so she was lying on the ground, Nightheart shot him a look. "You want to know about me, right? So be quiet." Wintersky obediently shut his mouth. "Good. I don't remember much, so let's see if I can actually recall what happened." She paused to dig into her memories, before starting her story.

Skyee's been with me for as long as I can remember. She found me when I was a child, wounded and starving. I don't really remember why or how I got to be in that condition, and personally, I don't really care to. All I remember is the kindness that Skyee showed me. She taught me how to hunt, to track, and to live as one with the forest.

"I saw my first human a few summers after that. I began listening to them talk and learning their language, so that I could know what they wanted, what they were after. I stole some of their weapons and taught myself how to use them, This dagger," She pointed to the one she'd used earlier to tear her pant leg, "is actually one of the many weapons I took.

"It was a few winters later that they discovered me and began trying to either kill me, or capture me. Issac was simply the first one to succeed in, oh I'm not really sure how many turns of the seasons, but it was certainly a quite a few."

Wintersky had been listening intently through her story, and only now spoke up. "Issac? Is that the name of the leader from that caravan?"

Nightheart nodded. "He's a ringleader that captures and sells anything exotic. Whatever he can't sell, he uses in his show."

Wintersky choked. "A show? He forces his captives to perform?" His voice began rising. "What kind of a tyrant is this… this creep?"

Nightheart grinned darkly. "Oh don't worry. Before I left, I gave him some trouble. I released all of the captives that he had at the time." She shrugged. "I don't know what happened to them, but they probably caused quite a bit of trouble for Issac before things calmed down."

Wintersky gave her an uneasy glance. "You can be a little scary, you know that?" He didn't exactly want to think about what she'd do to him if he angered her.

She just laughed. "Well, you won't get anywhere by being nice. Especially when you've got some idiotic thugs after you." Stretching, she cracked her knuckles, before tucking her hands under her head.

Wintersky turned the rabbits again. "I think they're done." He passed one to Nightheart, and took the other for himself.

They ate in silence, the only sounds coming from the meat being torn from the bones, the crackling of the flames, and the stream burbling on.

Nightheart looked across the fire to Wintersky. He was trying to remain alert, but was failing miserably. She lowered her rabbit so she could speak. "You should rest up. We'll be on the move again in the morning, and you'll need all the energy you can get."

Wintersky turned his eyes to her. "I guess so." He put his rabbit on the stones surrounding the fire, so he could eat the rest in the morning, before carefully lying down.

Just when Nightheart thought he'd gone to sleep, he opened his eyes slightly. "You know, I'm sure the Elders would welcome you into the clan."

Nightheart stiffened, but before she could respond, Wintersky was fast asleep. She stared at him, before sighing. _How does he always manage to do that? How does he always get under my skin like this?_ It was just uncanny, the way Wintersky seemed to know just how to unnerve her without making her panic.

Standing up, she crept around the fire, and placed the blanket over his sleeping form, before returning to her own side of the fire. Tossing more firewood on the flames to keep it going, she shifted herself into a more comfortable position, before closing her own eyes to sleep. She was confidant that Skyee would alert her to any trouble that might come in the night, and that they'd be safe until morning.

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**_AN: next time, we reach the climax. and i might just reveal some of what i have planned for the sequel._**

**_Please R&R!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_AN: here's the last chapter of this story. sorry it took so long. still, it's 8 pages long, so i think that should make it up to you._**

**_enjoy!_**

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The next few days were roughly the same. The four of them would travel from morning until dusk, when Wintersky's endurance ran low, signaling them to find a campsite. Wintersky would set up the fire, with the bird guarding him, while Nightheart hunted for dinner. Wintersky would entertain them with stories from his childhood, while Nightheart listened with barely suppressed envy at his fairly carefree life. But she never brought up the subject of being a part of his clan. The very idea terrified her, and at the same time, felt so very attractive, like a moth's attraction to a fire. She fought so hard to become what she was, a free-spirited forest-dweller. Did she really want to be beholden to anyone? Especially a clan?

Fortunately for her, Wintersky never questioned her about it again, although he did give her some odd looks from time to time.

While they traveled, Wintersky would point out certain symbols to her, and explained what they meant. A pile of rocks, for example, when piled to resemble a cross, meant that there was a shelter nearby. Or if they were piled into a pyramid, it meant that they were on a common trail.

When they came across a feather stuck into the tree bark, it meant that they had reached a scouting route. And the start of Wintersky's Clan territory. Wintersky told Nightheart to stop, before lifting his head and letting out a piercing cry, much like that of a falcon.

Nightheart stared. "What was that about?"

"Just letting them know I'm here." he replied. Raising his arm, Kreeak landed on it. He stared at the bird for a moment, before he launched the falcon again. Kreeak took off into the forest ahead of them and vanished.

Nightheart raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned. "Just gave him some instructions. I told him to find some friends."

"Right." she said uneasily. "So what now?"

Wintersky smirked. "Now, we get moving. Because I'm sure that those hunters of yours will have heard me."

Nightheart had to restrain the urge to punch him. "Then why did you do it?"

Wintersky opened his mouth to reply, before he shoved her to the side.

Grunting as she hit the ground, she whipped around to face him. "What did you do-?" She fell silent as her eyes took in the sight of him fallen and bound by a net. The same net she'd last seen in Issac's weapon storage.

"Wintersky!" She ran to him, and saw that he'd hit his head on a rock, knocking him unconscious. A small trickle of blood ran down his face.

"You fools. You missed her!" She turned to see Issac and some of his men.

Immediately, she pulled out her bow and readied an arrow. True, she could easily outrun them, but that meant leaving Wintersky to become prisoner in her place. And that was a fate she didn't want anyone else to have to suffer. Mentally, she told Skyee of her plan. It was a risky one, but possibly the only one that might work, given the circumstances.

"If you think I'll just stand here and allow you to recapture me," She said as her eyes narrowed. "you'd better think again." _/Now Skyee!/_

Skyee dove from her vantage point above the trees, and went straight for Issac's head. A normal eagle could easily kill a cow from that height. A bondbird eagle could crush a bear's skull. A human didn't have a chance.

Issac gave no sign of noticing Skyee's attack until the last moment. He stepped to the side, pulling one of his men into his place to take Skyee's talons.

Knowing full well that Issac would be able to read Skyee's attack, Nightheart had waited until he moved, releasing her arrow at the same time Issac dodged Skyee, and succeeded in putting her bolt in his arm. But the glare he turned on her was more than she'd expected. There was no pain in his eyes, only a burning hatred.

Issac turned his eyes to his men. "Get her."

She fired arrow after arrow, not pausing to think about her actions or the consequences. When she ran out of her own arrows, she ducked down briefly and seized the ones that Wintersky had in his side-quiver. Unlike the first time they'd caught her, she wasn't aiming to injure.

She was aiming to kill. Because this time, it wasn't just Skyee's and her own life at risk. It was Wintersky's, Kreeak's, and their clan. If Issac got his hands on one, he'd try his hardest to get all of them.

She was so focused on keeping the men in front of her at bay that she didn't even notice the three men behind her. Skyee, on the other hand, did.

With a fierce screech, she dove from the sky again at the men behind her. But Issac was prepared for that as well. One of the men threw a net at Skyee, and she couldn't dodge it because of her momentum. With her wings tangled in the net, she plummeted to the ground.

"Skyee!" Nightheart leapt for the man keeping her bondmate captive, and, drawing her dagger, managed to slash his arm, before the other men caught her and pinned her to the ground.

Issac's laughter rang through the small clearing. "You really should have learned by now, Nightheart, that no one ever escapes from me." He stalked forward, savoring his victory over her.

She glared at him from the ground. "Enjoy this while you can. I escaped from you once before, and I can do it again."

Signaling the men holding her to stand her up, he grinned at her, before he punched her in the stomach.

Choking, she went limp. Since she'd never been punched before, especially not in the stomach, she hadn't been prepared for such a thing. She couldn't seem to draw enough breath to keep her muscles tense and ready.

"Defiance will get you nowhere, wench." His eyes turned to Wintersky. "I see you managed to find another weakling. And from the way you stood and protected him, I guess he must mean a lot to you."

Nightheart gasped, her eyes snapping up to meet Issac's satisfied gaze. "No." She managed to get enough of her breath back to speak. "You can't. He's not involved. Leave him alone." A small movement in the trees caught her eye, but when she glanced over at it, it was gone.

He shook his head in mock-pity. "You know me better than that, girl." He turned to the man she'd injured and pointed to Wintersky. "Kill him." The man's eyes lit up with a malicious intent and drew his own blade.

She watched in horror as the man lifted his dagger, ready to plunge it into Wintersky's prone form. "No!"

Dozens of arrows suddenly came out of nowhere and struck all of Issac's men. Nightheart could only watch helplessly as her hunters were all cut down before her very eyes. The two holding her captive were among the first to go down, and the one holding the net over Skyee was next. She did the smartest thing she could have, and just ducked, staying perfectly still.

In mere moments, it was over. She turned her head slightly to see two people come down from the trees so fast, it was as if they flew down. But they didn't make a single noise. In fact, they had a strong resemblance to…

"Wintersky!" She leapt up, but before she could run to his side, she was grabbed from behind and held at knifepoint.

"Don't move." A low voice said. Nightheart glanced back to see another stranger, holding a dagger to her throat. She did as they ordered, not willing to risk getting her throat slit.

She watched as the other two walked over to Wintersky and removed the net. Wintersky roused as they did so, before exclaiming with glee.

"Snowfire! Ravenwing!" He turned to the stranger holding Nightheart back. "Uh, Silverwind, what are you doing?" He struggled to stand up.

"She is a stranger, and therefore a threat to the clan." The one named Silverwind said.

Wintersky glared. "Like Hell she is. She's the one who got me this far. She's an ally, you idiot!"

Nightheart blushed hearing those words. She couldn't help it. _Ally? He considers me an ally?_ She forced herself to speak. "You heard him. So let go of me." She glared out of the corner of her eye at the man holding her.

The man released her, and immediately, she darted to Skyee to remove her bindings. Allowing Skyee to rest on her shoulder, while ignoring her mental complaints about being in a net again, she turned back to Wintersky, who was being assisted by the man called Snowfire.

"So I guess this would be goodbye."

Wintersky turned to face her, confused by her words. "What? Goodbye? What do you mean? I thought-"

Nightheart cut him off. "You thought I would come with you, right?" She rubbed her arm, looking away. "Well, since these men are obviously part of your clan, and they're here to help you get back, there's no real reason for me to stay." She had to get going if she wanted to reach her nest by nightfall. She couldn't waste any more time. Being around more humans was making the pangs in her heart more noticeable, and she had to leave if she wanted to regain control of herself.

Wintersky frowned. "You know, you don't have to leave. Why don't you come with us? You know that we won't torment you, and I know that the Elders would welcome you."

Snowfire softly whacked the back of his head. "You might want to try asking first." Wintersky just grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The older man turned back to her. "I apologize if we offended you. You must understand, we are accustomed to being feared by outsiders because of the bonds we share with our birds. But seeing that you also have a bondbird," He glanced at Skyee with wonder. "I can imagine that you feel no such thing. And I find it truly amazing that you managed to bond with an eagle."

Nightheart couldn't believe what she was hearing. This Snowfire had said the same thing that Wintersky had said about her bond with Skyee.

He bent down and assisted Wintersky in standing up. The two of them obviously had a close relationship. Snowfire acted like he was Wintersky's older brother. "I am truly grateful to you for helping our young hothead here." He ignored Wintersky indignant glare and immediate defensive remarks that he was not a hothead. "Why don't you come along? It's not like you can stay alive forever on your own."

Nightheart snapped out of her uneasiness to give him a bone-chilling glare. "I've survived on my own well enough for most of my life."

Wintersky nodded. "She told me that she's been on her own for," he frowned thoughtfully. "I think around twelve years now, if I had to guess?" He nodded to himself. "Yeah, that would sound about right."

Everyone else just stared at her, causing her to flush and step back. Skyee, sensing her distress, hissed at the other humans, making them jump.

Snowfire cleared his throat. "So, twelve years, huh? I guess I'll have to take back what I said before." He laughed a little. "But you're still welcome to come with us."

Wintersky nodded vigorously. "Even if you don't want to live close to everyone else, you'd be more than welcome to build a new home wherever you wanted."

Nightheart blinked. "You mean, you're inviting me to join your Clan?" She looked away. It was just like that night when he said that she'd be welcome, but strangely enough, the uneasiness she felt then was almost nonexistent.

With a jolt, she realized that she _wanted_ to be around others; she _wanted_ the kind of relationship that Wintersky had with these other people. Without realizing it, she'd come to enjoy and depend on Wintersky's presence in only two days. She'd never known anyone to be so kind to a complete stranger, but he had definitely made an impression on her. Maybe humans weren't so bad after all. But just the same…

She frowned softly. "What makes you think that I'd be welcome there? These Elders you've spoken of, how do I know how they'll treat me right?" She looked directly at Wintersky. "I've told you about the only other situation I've had with humans."

Wintersky tilted his head. "What, you mean that ringleader?" He jerked his head towards Issac's corpse. "Don't worry so much. You've seen how I treat Kreeak. The entire clan is like that. No one will tell you to do something you don't feel comfortable doing." He looked up at his companion. "Right, Snowfire?"

Snowfire nodded. "And I can guarantee the reactions of the Elders. You see, I'm one of them."

Well, that explained why Wintersky had been so confidant about Nightheart being welcome to join his clan. Still, he didn't look old enough to be an Elder. He seemed to be only a few years older than Wintersky.

Snowfire caught the odd look she was giving him. "I'm an Elder because of my deeds, not my age."

Nightheart nodded her understanding. _That explains it. I guess these people put more merit on actions instead of just age._

Closing her eyes, she smiled softly. "You really are annoying, Wintersky."

Wintersky stared, unsure if he should be offended or not. He'd learned not to take everything she said at face-value. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Nightheart shook her head. "Never mind. I think my decision was already made when I met you." She looked up at her bondmate. "Skyee, what do you think?"

Skyee's response was to leap off her shoulder with a cry and soar up to fly with Kreeak. Wintersky's eyes lit up. "So you're coming?"

Tilting her head, she said playfully. "Well, I can't just leave Skyee alone now can I, seeing as she's so dead set on following Kreeak." She shrugged. "Let's go." She walked forward and grabbed his other arm, slinging it over her shoulder like it had been for the last several days. "We have to make sure you get properly healed."

Wintersky laughed. "Oh, I think you'll fit in just fine." He snuck a glance at the others. "You've got the right sense of humor."

"Oh, is that so?" Snowfire exclaimed in mock-indignation. "Well, I guess I'll have to tell her some stories about you and your other 'accidents.'"

Wintersky shot him an uneasy glance. "Uh, you're not serious, are you? You wouldn't. Come on Snowfire. You really don't have to go that far."

Snowfire's reply was swallowed by the shadows of the trees as the group made their way back to their people. And Nightheart's new home.

**_AN: ok, all done! i'm not really sure when i'll start posting the sequel since i'm still in the process of writing it, and i'm not going to make any promises. But i can tell you what it'll be called, since i wrote it in the story somewhere._**

**_it'll be called Nightheart's New Home..._**

**_/cringes\\ ok, maybe not the most original, but hey, it makes sense, so yeah._**

**_anyways, please R&R!_**


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